According to one study, high consumption of ultra-processed foods increases the risk of heart disease, bowel (colorectal) cancer and death. The study was published in the journal BMJ. The findings add further evidence in support of policies that limit ultra-processed foods and instead promote eating unprocessed or minimally processed foods to improve public health around the world. They reinforce the opportunity to reform dietary guidelines around the world by focusing on nutrient-based recommendations as well as the degree of processing of foods.
Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals and ready-to-eat or heat products, which often contain high levels of added sugar, fat, and/or salt, but also vitamins and minerals. There is a lack of fiber. Previous studies have linked ultra-processed foods to higher risks of obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol and certain cancers, but few studies have assessed the association between ultra-processed food intake and colorectal cancer risk, and the findings has been mixed due to limitations. Study design and sample size.
In the first study, researchers examined the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the risk of colorectal cancer in American adults. Their findings are based on 46,341 men and 159,907 women whose dietary intake was assessed from three large studies of US health professionals. Using a detailed food frequency questionnaire every four years. Foods were classified by degree of processing and rates of colorectal cancer were measured taking into account medical and lifestyle factors over a period of 24–28 years. The results showed that men in the lowest fifth of ultra-processed food consumption had a 29 percent higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than men in the highest fifth of male consumption, after further adjustment for body mass index, or diet quality. remained important. No association was observed between overall ultra-processed food consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer in women. However, higher consumption of meat/poultry/seafood-based ready-to-eat products and sugar-sweetened beverages among men – and ready-to-eat/heat mixed dishes among women – are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Were.
In the second study, researchers analyzed two food classification systems in relation to mortality – the Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System (FSAm-NPS), which is used to obtain color-coded Nutri-Score front-of-pack labels, and the Nova scale. is done for. , which evaluates the degree of food processing. Their findings are based on 22,895 Italian adults (mean age 55 years; 48% male) from the Moli-Sani Study, which is examining genetic and environmental risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Both quantity and quality of food and beverages consumed were assessed and death was measured over a 14-year period (2005 to 2019), taking into account underlying medical conditions. The results showed that those in the highest quarter of the FSAm-NPS index (least healthy diet) had a 19 percent higher risk of death from any cause and a 32 percent higher risk of death from heart disease than those in the lowest quarter (healthiest diet). % higher risk. The risks were similar when the two extreme categories of ultra-process sed food intake were compared on the NOVA scale (19 percent and 27 percent higher for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively).
A significant proportion of the additional mortality risk associated with poor diet was explained by higher levels of food processing. In contrast, consumption of ultra-processed food remained associated with mortality even after taking into account the poor nutritional quality of the diet.
Both studies are observational so cannot establish causation, and limitations include the possibility that some of the risks may be due to other unmeasured (confounding) factors. Still, both studies used reliable markers of diet quality and took into account well-known risk factors, and the findings support other research linking highly processed food with poor health. As such, both research teams say their findings support the public health importance of limiting certain types of ultra-processed foods for better health outcomes in populations. The results of the Italian study reinforce the opportunity to improve dietary guidelines around the world, by focusing more on the degree of processing of foods, along with recommendations based on nutrients.
In a linked editorial, Brazilian researchers argue that no one craves sensible foods that cause disease. The overall positive solution, he says, involves making the supply of fresh and minimally processed foods available, attractive and affordable. and maintaining national initiatives to promote and support freshly prepared meals made from fresh and minimally processed foods using processed culinary ingredients and smaller amounts of processed foods. “Enacted, it would promote public health. It would also nourish families, societies, economies, and the environment,” they conclude.